INSTEAD of letting a local transport operators’ cooperative operate the buses, the government will bid today three premium Point-to-Point (P2P) bus services to only three big bus companies.
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) will accept in Manila at 2 p.m. today, March 15, the bids of SM Prime Holding Inc.’s MyBus, Vallacar Transport Corp. (Ceres) and Cebu Autobus Corp., which are existing bus operators in Cebu.
Julieto Flores, president of the Cebu Provincial and Minibus Operators Multipurpose Cooperative, said he will go to the LTFRB central office only to observe the bidding.
The LTFRB issued Memorandum Circular 2019-010, which opened 28 new P2P bus routes, with all routes distributed through 16 franchise packages and with each package awarded to one applicant.
The P2P bus service in Cebu will ply three routes.
The 20.5-kilometer Cebu City-Lapu-Lapu City route will have stops in Mandaue City. It will have 20 units with a one-way fare of P80.
The 78.8-kilometer Cebu City-Danao City route will have stops in Mandaue City, Consolacion, Liloan and Compostela. Forty-five units will ply the route with a one-way fare of P315.
The 75.1-kilometer Cebu City-Sibonga route, with stops in Talisay City, Minglanilla, San Fernando and Carcar City, will have 45 units. The one-way fare is P300.
In an interview, Flores said the distances of the three P2P routes are not accurate and must be corrected to reduce the fare by amending MC 2019-010.
He said Cebu City to Danao City is only 32 kilometers, and Cebu City to Sibonga is only 60 kilometers.
Flores said the transport cooperatives in Cebu will not participate in the bidding because they are afraid they cannot meet the requirements.
He said that under MC 2019-010, those who will be given route packages are required to submit an affidavit of undertaking stating that 25 percent of the required units will be delivered in three months, 50 percent within six months, and 100 percent within nine months from the date of submission of the pre-qualification documents. (EOB)